Sleep deprivation and exercise?

Bruno Asked: Sleep deprivation and exercise?

I run on a 24.5 hour clock. And by that I mean that every day I stay up half an hour later than I should be sleeping.

The problem with this is that every two months or so it catches up to me, and my nights become my day, and my day becomes my nights. In other words, I start sleeping during the day due to what appears to be a severe case of insomnia.

Every week day I have an intense 2 hour exercise routine that requires explosive bursts of energy and heavy endurance. I've noticed that whenever I enter these odd sleep cycles, my performance starts to deteriorate rapidly.

Should I be exercising when sleep deprived? I'm practically going to sleep at 7 or 8 AM and waking up at around 1-3PM. This is not normal, and it does not help that I exercise at 4-5PM till 7PM right after.

Answers:

Answered: Exercising on too little sleep or on weird amounts of sleep is never a good idea. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do but in your case i would recommend going to see a sleep therapy clinic or something and have your sleep patterns analyzed. I would say that the fact that every two months your day flips on its head and you turn into a nocturnal creature should be more of a worry than your exercise regime.

That being said though if you're very serious about your workout program you'll find ways to get the work done. I've gone to the gym on very little sleep before, i take a pre-workout supplement drink that has thermogenics and ingredients that wake me up in it (caffeine anhydrous, taurine, egcg, etc.) so maybe getting a pre-workout drink could help you stay energized when you have those bouts of extreme fatigue every once in a while.

Trying to regulate your sleep patterns is the obvious healthy answer though, whether it's with medication to begin with or manipulating your schedule so that you can get to bed on time.

xxcrimsontidexx Answered:No point in working out if you are tired.Sleep helps your body perform at its best and if you are sleep deprived, your body will be tearing itself down even further.there is no time for the muscles to rest and repair themselves. 7 hours of sleep is essential.If you don't get it, don't go to the gym.Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time.Sleep instead